Family of mother murdered in KCK shares disturbing new details

“She was cheerful, fun, and responsible. She was a great daughter just trying to raise her child,” that’s how Marquita Williams remembers her daughter, 22-year-old Linda Williams.

Police say early Sunday morning Linda and her boyfriend of three months, Dennis Smith, Jr., were both found dead in a burning van near New Jersey Avenue and North Third Street in Kansas City, Kan.

Williams said both victims had been shot to death. Linda leaves behind a 15-month-old daughter. She recently moved into a new apartment and started a new job.

“I am extremely mad, and I’m hurt about it all,” Williams said Friday night during a vigil and life celebration for her daughter, who would’ve celebrated her 23rd birthday.

Williams says after talking to detectives, she learned police have questioned a man about the double-homicide. Williams says the man told detectives the young couple stopped by a home on 49th and Woodland in Kansas City, Mo., to visit a friend. The male friend, allegedly high on PCP, became angry after someone inside the house put their foot on the back of his chair.

“My daughter was clean, but everybody else was on PCP,” Williams said.

She said the man police questioned also told detectives the shooter then ran outside, shot and killed her daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend.

“Linda got out of the van, tried to run,” Williams said. “He caught her, brought her back to the van and then shot her and then drove her and her boyfriend’s bodies to New Jersy Street and my guess is to hide the bodies. It’s just senseless”

Fox 4’s Robert Townsend reached out the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department for comment about Williams’ claims, but so far, no one has returned his phone calls. Early Friday afternoon a spokesman did say the police department was not releasing any further information about the case at this time.